Whenever someone asks me how to change “nuisance” (nuisance to humans – normal to dogs) behaviors such as chewing, digging, barking, trash raiding, and counter surfing, one of my first recommendations is to replace the dog’s food bowl with a variety of interactive toys.

Interactive toys are those that dogs play with by extracting something from the toy over a period of time. These toys are usually food-based, but not always. When dogs are taught to play with interactive toys as part of their mealtime routine, their meals become an opportunity for mental stimulation. The best part: this doesn’t take much extra effort on the part of the human! [Read more…]